Industry Mentoring Program: Empowering External Degree Students for Career Success – Case Study from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Authors

  • Sumudu Jayathissa Mrs
  • Vishaka Nanayakkara
  • Buddhika Karunarathna
  • Niranjan Gunawardena
  • Malik Ranasinghe
  • B.H Sudantha
  • Roshan Sawanawadu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/ecel.23.1.2823

Keywords:

Industry Ready Graduate, Skills Enhancement, Industry Mentoring Programme, Future Workforce

Abstract

In today's interconnected world, open distance education has become widespread, granting students the flexibility and accessibility to pursue higher education through external degree programmes. Despite the increasing feasibility of delivering knowledge and skills online, a significant hurdle remains in ensuring that participants are adequately equipped for the demands of the professional world of work. Traditionally, exposure to industry standards and practical experiences is gained through activities like industry visits, guest talks, meetups, and workshops, which are often absent in online distance education programs due to their remote nature. This dearth of industry-preparedness and practical skills presents a formidable obstacle for graduates as they transition into the workforce. Thus, bridging the gap between academic learning and industry expectations becomes imperative to enhance students' employability and career readiness, ultimately fostering their success in the workforce. This case study delves into the solution to this challenge through a meticulously crafted programme aimed at cultivating industry-ready graduates. Leveraging available technology, the program provides immersive experiences within the online learning environment.  The paper details the Industry Mentoring Program (IMP), which employs technology to simulate real-world experiences, assesses stakeholder perceptions of the programme's value, and offers insights for future enhancements. This programme was conducted targeting the final year students of the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) External Degree programme of the University of Moratuwa. This study investigates the experiences and viewpoints of students taking part in the IMP using surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions. Four student cohorts who have undergone the programme have provided their feedback both quantitatively and qualitatively.  Across all groups the student satisfaction was totally positive with over 80% of the participants indicating their satisfaction at 4 or 5 on a Lickert Scale of 5 indicating very satisfied.  Students’ perception of their preparedness for the  workforce after participating  in the IMP also is extremely positive. The findings indicates that the IMP significantly improves the career opportunities of BIT students.  Feedback obtained from other stakeholders such as potential employers, resource persons and administrators also validate the effectiveness of the programme. The feedback and suggestions are incorporated to enhance the programme. University has decided to incorporate this programme into the curriculum with the 2024 curriculum revision of this open distance degree programme of BIT.

Author Biographies

Sumudu Jayathissa, Mrs

Sumudu Jayathissa is consultant at the Centre for Open and Distance Learning of the University of Moratuwa. She received her Master of Business Management from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and Bachelor of Science (BSc.) from Wayamba University of Sri Lanka

Vishaka Nanayakkara

Vishaka Nanayakkara is the Director of the Centre for Open and Distance Learning, and a Senior Lecturer at University of Moratuwa teaching in the fields of Computer, Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Her research interests are Technology-based teaching, learning. She received her Technical Licentiate from the Department of Computer Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology and BSc. in Engineering from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Moratuwa.

Buddhika Karunarathna

Buddhika Karunarathne is a senior lecturer at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka He is also the deputy director at the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL), University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. His research interests include speech processing, voice biometrics and learning analytics.

Niranjan Gunawardena

Niranjan Gunawaradana is the current Vice chancellor of the University of Moratuwa and a Senior Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering. He was the secretary of the ministry of technology and he has widely researched on technology driven sustainable economic development. His PhD in construction project management is from Loughborough University of Technology, England.

Malik Ranasinghe

Prof. Malik Ranasinghe is a retired Senior Lecturer and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa. Prof. Ranasinghe graduated in Civil Engineering from the UoM (1984), and obtained his MSc (1986) and PhD (1990) from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada in Civil Engineering Economics as a Canadian Commonwealth Scholar.

B.H Sudantha

BH Sudantha is the current Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology, at the University of Moratuwa and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Information Technology teaching in the field of Information Technology. His research interests are IoT, Embedded Systems, and Blockchain. He received the BSc. (Hons) degree in Physics from the University of Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka in 1994 and the M.Phil. degree in Electronics from the same university in 2005.

Roshan Sawanawadu

DSRC Sawanawadu is an Assistant Registrar at the Center for Open and Distance Learning of University of Moratuwa. He holds Master of Science from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) from SLIIT, Sri Lanka.

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Published

2024-10-23

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2024): Proceedings of the 23rd European Conference on e-Learning - ECEL 2024

Section

Academic papers